THE camp of Barangay Tejero Councilman Jessielou “Jing-Jing” Cadungog has filed charges of attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms against Michael Banua, the driver of the motorcycle boarded by PO3 Eugene Calumba the slain police officer accused of trying to ambush Cadungog last Monday.
The counsels of Cadungog and his bodyguard, William Macaslang Jr., filed the criminal complaints against Banua at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office late Friday afternoon.
Lawyer Benjamin Militar, counsel of Macaslang, said their evidence is strong to indict Banua, reportedly an anti-crime volunteer, who allegedly pulled out his gun during last Monday’s encounter.
“They try to really assassinate the driver (Macaslang) on the assumption that he was the former Barangay Captain Cadungog,” he said.
Macaslang, who drove the Toyota FJ Cruiser owned by Cadungog, testified that PO3 Calumba pulled his handgun first from his waistband, prompting him to shoot the policeman out of self-defense.
“The second person (Banua) whom we are accusing now of attempted murder actually went around and tried to shoot in front of the vehicle. It was Macaslang who fired first. When he (Banua) tried to go near, Macaslang fled already. But his intention was really to shoot it out with Mr. Macaslang,” Militar added.
When asked if they have secured a copy of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from a nearby establishment, Militar was tight-lipped about it.
Earlier, NBI-7 filed homicide charges against Macaslang for the death of Calumba while the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas (CIDG-7) charged Cadungog and his driver for murder and frustrated murder.